Plumbing the depths of the Leafs’ talent as training camp opens

We can thank William Nylander for one thing: His contract status has created at least the semblance of drama as the Maple Leafs are set to report Thursday morning for physicals at the MasterCard Centre.

Will he sign or won’t he? Will he show or not? Who will play on Auston Matthews’ wing, if not Nylander?

Without the Nylander situation, the biggest question might have been whether Josh Leivo will see regular playing time. Although there could be a more fun debate whether Matthews or John Tavares is the No. 1 centre. Both did, after all, produce 1.02 points per game last year.

One thing is clear, the Maple Leafs are a very good team, with or without Nylander. Better with him, for sure. But they’ll get by without him in the pre-season.

The Leafs are brimming with talent: They have young players who are looking for bigger roles, Marlies who are hoping to convert their Calder Cup experience into NHL playing time, and added free agents — beyond Tavares — who are looking to fill some holes.

There are issues. Somehow coach Mike Babcock needs to replace the offence and power play presence of James van Riemsdyk. Babcock loves his righty-lefty matchups at centre but has lost one of the best right-handed centremen in the league in Tyler Bozak. The grit and defence of Leo Komarov and Roman Polak are gone, as well as the toughness of Matt Martin.

Skinny: The Leafs are deepest at forward, certainly at centre with Tavares, Matthews and Nazem Kadri. The fourth-line job is open and would seem to pit Lindholm against Frederik Gauthier. Lindholm, 26, scored close to a point a game last year in the Swedish league. The 23-year-old Gauthier, a former first-round pick, might have one last chance to show the Leafs what he can do … Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson — the MVP of the Calder Cup — could be in for much bigger roles thanks to their speed. Johnsson can provide offence, but in a very different way than van Riemsdyk … Ennis and Jooris give the Leafs some depth … Carl Grundstrom will get a long look at a fourth-line role, but is more likely a mid-season call up … Pierre Engvall’s seamless transition to the North American game could mean the six-foot-five winger challenge for a role.

Skinny: The blue line is deemed to be the team’s weakness. Given the power up front, defenceman won’t be judged so much on how they play in their own end, but how quickly they can force a turnover and moved the puck up to the forwards … The Leafs continue to have a left-right imbalance …. Ozhiganov, a free-agent signing from Russia, is a right-handed shot, giving him an advantage over the likes of Calle Rosen and Andreas Borgman, each of whom got a chance last year with the Leafs … Connor Carrick, another right-handed shot, should retain a roster spot as the sixth or seventh defenceman … Justin Holl had a terrific Calder Cup playoffs and could make a pitch for a spot if Ozhiganov is deemed not yet ready for North American ice … Both 2017 and 2018 top picks — Timothy Liljegren and Rasmus Sandin — probably will need more seasoning

Skinny: The Leafs seem to have a plethora of riches in a position where depth is key. Frederik Andersen (38-21-5, 2.18, .918) is the bona fide No. 1, looking forward to another 60-plus games … Curtis McElhinney (11-5-1, .215, .934) was splendid as a backup but at 35 is vulnerable to the youth of 25-year-old Garret Sparks, the AHL’s top goalie last year, or 26-year-old Calvin Pickard. The Leafs risk losing either of those two to waivers if they try to send them back to the Marlies. A trade is quite likely with plenty of depth in the minors with the returning Kasimir Kaskisuo and McAdam, acquired from the Islanders in the Matt Martin trade.

Projected tandem: Andersen, McElhinney.

On the doorstep: Sparks.

Kevin McGran is a sports reporter based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @kevin_mcgran